Inner container for transporting lysine

ABSTRACT

The present invention describes an inliner ( 1 ) which is used for transporting lysine in containers. This inliner ( 1 ) has preferably been produced from woven, coated polypropylene and has the following features:  
     a cuff ( 4, 5 ) at each of the upper and lower margins of the rear face ( 3 ) for fixing and securing the inliner ( 1 ) within the container  
     where appropriate a cuff applied to the upper or lower margin of the front face ( 8 ) and serving for fixing the inliner ( 1 ) within the container  
     feed apertures ( 9 ) on the front face ( 8 ), these feed apertures ( 9 ) having been applied at the upper margin of the front face ( 8 )  
     discharge apertures ( 10 ) on the front face ( 8 ), these discharge apertures ( 10 ) having been applied at the lower margin of the front face ( 8 )  
     two straps ( 12 ) applied along the edges of the front face ( 8 ), each of which has at least one clasp ( 13 ), these serving for suspension on steel bars.

[0001] The present invention relates to the use of an inliner known perse, attached within a container, for transporting lysine in thiscontainer.

[0002] Lysine is an amino acid produced in large quantities and usedmainly as an animal feed additive. It can be obtained by varioussynthetic routes and is generally used in the form of the L-enantiomer.With annual amounts marketed being more than 50 000 metric tons, it isclearly desirable that the way in which the material is packed fortransport facilitates loading and unloading. Care has to be taken herethat no contamination of lysine takes place during transport andparticularly during loading or unloading. Another problem is that lysineis highly hygroscopic and on absorbing water rapidly cakes to give hardclumps. The way in which the lysine is packed must therefore be suchthat it cannot take in water from outside.

[0003] Much of this lysine is marketed in paper sacks, but the amountwhich can be packed and sold in each sack is comparatively small. Alarge amount of packing material is therefore needed, and this cannot bereused. Each paper sack has to be individually opened by cutting, andthis requires a large amount of additional work.

[0004] Some of this lysine is also marketed in what are known as bigbags. These are large-capacity sacks, generally made from polypropylene.For road transport, sacks of this type are either cut open and theircontents emptied into silo containers, or the sacks themselves can betransported in containers. However, big bags are difficult to stack, theresult being high dead volume in the container. It is necessary to uselarge containers, and this increases transport costs.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a means oftransport which can transport lysine simply and without contamination,and which in particular permits easy loading and unloading of the meansof transport without any major labor cost. No contamination of thelysine should occur.

[0006] We have found that this object is achieved by using an inlinerfor transporting lysine in a container. The inliner with upper and lowerface and rear and front face, and also two side faces made from coatedwoven polypropylene or from a material with comparable properties hasthe following features:

[0007] a cuff at each of the upper and lower margins of the rear facefor fixing and securing the inliner within the container

[0008] where appropriate a cuff applied to the upper or lower margin ofthe front face and serving for fixing the inliner within the container

[0009] at least one feed aperture on the front face, this feed aperturehaving been applied at the upper margin of the front face

[0010] at least one discharge aperture on the front face, this dischargeaperture having been applied at the lower margin of the front face

[0011] two straps applied along the edges of the front face, each ofwhich has at least one clasp, these serving for suspension on steelbars.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the inliner used according to theinvention are found in the subclaims and are described below.

[0013] Instead of the woven polypropylene, a material with identical orsimilar properties may be used, but in particular must have appropriatestability and tensile strain at break. Examples of materials which maybe used instead of the woven polypropylene are polyethylene and mixedpolyethylene/polypropylene weaves. The preferred material is wovenpolypropylene.

[0014] The cuffs attached to the rear face of the inliner serve forfixing and securing the inliner within the container. The material fromwhich they have been manufactured is frequently the same as that usedfor the receptacle itself, but the thickness of the material in thecuffs is preferably greater. Examples of methods of fixing and securingare suspension on suitable devices in the container or suspension onwooden boards or steel bars fixed within the container. There may alsobe one or more cuffs on the front face.

[0015] The inliner has at least one feed aperture on the front face forcharging material. This has been attached at the upper margin so thatcomplete filling with lysine becomes possible. The shape, size, anddesign of the feed aperture are suitable for the filling procedure. Forexample, it may be of pull-out design and/or resealable. On the frontface there is also at least one discharge aperture attached, located atthe lower margin of the front face, to ensure easy and completedischarge. The discharge aperture is of pull-out design and to this endhas approximately the shape of a tube. Precise drawing-off of the lysineemerging from the apertures thus becomes possible. The dischargeaperture is resealable, advantageously by means of a hook-and-loopfastening, for example the closures marketed with the name Velcro®.

[0016] On the front face of the inliner there is, at each edge, a strapwhich runs along the entire length of the side of the front face. Eachof these straps has at least one clasp. The clasps serve for the fixingof one or more steel bars which may be attached within the container.The clasps are preferably capable of opening and reclosing, thusensuring easy insertion of the steel bars. The steel bars serve forpositioning of the inliner within the container and for absorbing thepressure exerted on the front face of the inliner by the lysine locatedin the receptacle, once the container has been opened. A high pressurehas to be absorbed in particular when the container is tipped, i.e. itsclosed side raised to permit easier and more complete discharge of thelysine. Each of the straps on each edge of the front face has at leastone clasp, preferably at least two clasps. In one preferred embodiment,between the clasps on the front face of the inliner a tube section hasbeen attached, and the steel bars are passed through this. This providesa simple method of positioning the inliner, since the steel bars aregenerally adjustable in height. These tube sections, too, areadvantageously capable of opening and resealing.

[0017] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention,attached to the upper and/or lower side faces of the inliner there aredevices which can be used to fix the receptacle within the container.These may be cords, for example, securely incorporated into the materialof the receptacle, or else loops, into which suitable means offastening, such as cords or carabiner hooks or the like may be inserted.There may also be devices of this type which serve for fixing attachedto the upper and/or lower front face and/or to the rear face.

[0018] The inliner used according to the invention is generally composedof at least six lengths of fabric, these having been connected to oneanother in a suitable manner, for example by sewing or adhesive-bonding.In one preferred embodiment, the inliner used according to the inventionhas seams which are dust-tight. One method of achieving this is to usetriple-stitched seams, specifically with two external threads and withone internal continuous thread.

[0019] Once the inliner has been attached to the container intended fortransport, the lysine is charged through the feed aperture(s). Oncetransport or shipping has been completed, the lysine is discharged fromthe inliner via the discharge aperture(s) which are of pull-out designand are resealable. Since the aperture(s) are of pull-out design, thelysine can be conveyed in a controlled manner to a particular site, forexample a drum or a sack, by varying the direction of the withdrawalaperture. Often, tipping of the container toward the side on which thecontainer's discharge aperture is located permits easy removal of thelysine.

[0020] Unlike when big bags are transported in a container, there islittle dead volume present when the inliner is used according to theinvention. For example, when using the inliner a 20-foot container isneeded to transport 20 metric tons of lysine, whereas a 40-footcontainer is needed to convey the same amount of lysine whentransporting big bags.

[0021] The example below will now provide further clarification of theinvention and illustrates one preferred embodiment of the inliner usedaccording to the invention.

[0022] The inliner 1 is composed of lengths of woven polypropyleneconnected to one another via seams, such as the seam 2. The seams arepreferably dust-tight. On the rear face 3 of the inliner 1, on the upperface, there is an upper cuff 4 for fastening the inliner within thecontainer, for example using a steel bar. Attached at the lower marginof the rear face 3 there is a lower cuff 5, which serves for fixing theinliner 1. The fixing may be achieved with a suitable means of fixingother than a steel bar, for example a wooden board. At both edges ofeach of the upper and lower side faces 6 a, 6 b, there are cords 7attached with which the inliner 1 can be fixed within the container. Onthe front face 8 there are inlet apertures 9, attached at the uppermargin of the front face 8. There are also outlet apertures 10 in thelower part of the front face. These are of pull-out design and can beopened and resealed by means of a hook-and-loop tape 11. A strap 12 runsalong each edge of the front face. On the straps there are clasps 13,which can be used to fix steel bars. The steel bars serve to absorb thepressure exerted by the lysine once the container has been opened and inparticular tipped. The straps extend beyond the edge of the front faceand can be used for positioning of the inliner. Positioning may also beachieved by way of steel bars inserted into the clasps. This can beachieved with particular ease by way of the tube section 14, whichreceives the steel bar. The inliner can be fixed within the container byway of a cuff 15 on the lower margin of the front face 8.

[0023] Key

[0024]1 Inliner

[0025]2 Seam

[0026]3 Rear face

[0027]4 Rear upper cuff

[0028]5 Rear lower cuff

[0029]6 a Upper side face

[0030]6 b Lower side face

[0031]7 Cord

[0032]8 Front face

[0033]9 Inlet aperture

[0034]10 Outlet aperture

[0035]11 Hook-and-loop tape

[0036]12 Strap

[0037]13 Clasp

[0038]14 Tube section

[0039]15 Cuff

We claim:
 1. The use of an inliner (1) with upper and lower face andrear and front face, and also two side faces made from coated wovenpolypropylene or from a material with comparable properties with thefollowing features: a cuff (4, 5) at each of the upper and lower marginsof the rear face (3) for fixing and securing the inliner (1) within thecontainer where appropriate a cuff applied to the upper or lower marginof the front face (8) and serving for fixing the inliner (1) within thecontainer at least one feed aperture (9) on the front face (8), thisfeed aperture (9) having been applied at the upper margin of the frontface (8) at least one discharge aperture (10) on the front face (8),this discharge aperture (10) having been applied at the lower margin ofthe front face (8) two straps (12) applied along the edges of the frontface (8), each of which has at least one clasp (13), these serving forsuspension on steel bars for transporting lysine in a container.
 2. Theuse as claimed in claim 1, wherein on the side faces (6 a, 6 b),preferably on the upper and lower side faces, there are devices forsecuring the inliner (1) by lashing.
 3. The use as claimed in claim 2,wherein the devices are cords (7) or loops, preferably loops.
 4. The useas claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inliner (1) has beenmanufactured from woven polypropylene, preferably from coated, wovenpolypropylene.
 5. The use as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, whereinthe discharge apertures (10) are of pull-out design.
 6. The use asclaimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the discharge apertures (10)are resealable, preferably by means of a hook-and-loop fastening (11).7. The use as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the seams (2) aredust-tight.
 8. The use as claimed in claim 7, wherein the seams (2) havebeen triple-stitched using two external threads and one internalcontinuous thread.
 9. The use as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8,wherein, between the clasps (13) on the front face (8), a tube section(14) has been attached and serves for positioning of the inliner (1)within the container